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BACK ISSUES (57-XX)

Back Issues all sold out

EX magazine ceased publication in the summer of 2016 and, unfortunately, we have no more back copies avauilable to purchase. You may be able to pick up some highly collectable copies on eBay.

Here's a summary of what appeared in previous issues of the West Ham retro magazine...

Issue 57 Winter 2010-11

MALCOLM ALLISON TRIBUTEWest Ham United lost the ‘founding father' of their famous Academy of Football when former club captain Malcolm Allison passed away on Thursday, October 14 following a long decline in his health. He was 83.Rightly revered as a world class coach, acclaimed by his contemporaries as being way ahead of his time, it is sometimes overlooked that he made 255 league and cup appearances for Hammers and established the tactical blueprint which propelled his colleagues out of the second division wilderness in 1958.Here, Tony Hogg presents a personal tribute to one of the most important and influential figures in Hammers' history ­ - the incomparable Big Mal.In a separate feature, we also look back on the Malcolm Allison testimonial game, the night West Ham faced an All-Star Select at the Boleyn in November 1958.

EASTLIFE ­ THE WEST HAM-LEYTON ORIENT CONNECTIONEX reflects on the various players, managers and personalities who have had connections with football's near neighbours in London's East End. From Dave Sexton to Phil Woosnam, Alan Sealey to Mal Musgrove, Peter Brabrook to Tommy Taylor, and Billy Jennings to Alvin Martin . . . we examine the relationship between the two clubs and their supporters, as well as printing the definitive list of all direct transfers between the Cockney clubs.

HOW THE CLUB LET DOWN JOHN LYALL AND HIS FAMILYEX is back on the case to preserve the honour of the club's greatest ever manager and our latest findings reveal a trail of incompetence that has brought shame on the club that has forgotten how to properly honour its greatest heroes.

JOE GALLAGHERWe first featured Joe in Issue No. 6, back in summer 2003. And when we bumped into him before Hammers' 2-2 draw at Birmingham City in early November, we thought it would be a good idea to catch-up on the current state of play with the likeable Liverpudlian, who had a short stay at the Boleyn as a centre-half in the early 80s.

CULT HERO DANNY SHEADecember 26 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of West Ham's first cult hero, Danny Shea. Between the years 1907-13 Shea made the No.8 shirt his own. He was Hammers' top scorer in each of the full seasons he spent at the club and his transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1913 caused such an outpouring of public scorn, the board had to issue a statement clarifying its position. Even Danny himself took the unprecedented step of penning a farewell letter to the fans.

This mercurial talent courted success and controversy on the field while oft the story of Danny Shea is underpinned by tragedy, mystery and intrigue. Found out why.

BADGE OF HONOURIsle of Wight-based supporter Alan Deadman explains his fascination with badge collecting and as well as highlighting some of the rarest badges issued by or associated with West Ham, he provides some useful pointers to collectors who share his hobby.

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Issue 58 (Spring 2010)BOLEYN GROUND OR THE OLYMPIC STADIUM?From Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, it's the highly controversial move every Hammers fan is talking about. EX poses some searching questions and we also ask a selection of our contributors readers what they think.

VIVA BOBBY MOORE!The concept of a roadshow celebrating the life and times of Bobby Moore is well overdue and the idea is now turning into reality. For the lucky 500 in attendance at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch, the inaugural Viva Bobby Moore! was a night to savour. EX was invited backstage to meet and hear the anecdotes of Billy Bonds, Brian Dear, Mike Summerbee and Alan Mullery at the show hosted by Tony Gale.

CRICKETING HAMMERSWith a resounding England Ashes victory still fresh in the memory, we reflect on a special group of West Ham players who had the unique distinction of excelling at both the summer and winter national sports, otherwise known as the ‘Cricketing Hammers'.

GOULD HEARTBREAKWe've an edited extract from Bobby Gould's recently published autobiography 24 Carat Gould, in which he recalls the time of the miners' strike and three-day working week in November 1973, when he left Bristol City to join Hammers in an £80,000 deal that turned sour when he was only named as sub for the 1975 FA Cup final.

CLASS OF ‘59Under Ted Fenton's stewardship West Ham commenced the development of home-grown talent and what today is labelled The Academy. This has become part of the club's heritage by producing some excellent youth teams and players over the last 50 years or so. Any debate on which season's youth team was the best will never be conclusive. Was it one of the FA Youth Cup-winning sides from 1963, 1980 or 1999? But we say a strong contender is the 1958-59 team, led by Bobby Moore, which oozed quality and is the focus of this feature.

WHEN MAN UNITED WERE HAMMEREDWest Ham's shock 4-0 League Cup victory over Manchester United on November 30, 2010 had the commentators scurrying for the record books to check if this was the club's biggest ever win over the Red Devils. The answer is that it equalled the winning margin but did not beat the number of goals scored on a similarly ecstatic occasion more than 80 years ago.Plus...

MEMORABILIA and many great pictures - including many that are previously unpublished - in this latest feast of West Ham nostalgia.

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Issue 59 (Summer 2011)CLASS OF 81 and BOYS OF 86Comparing players and teams from different past eras can be a hazardous task and often impossible. Football has changed so much over the years ­ pitches, balls, boots, playing systems, players' wages and the pace of the game have all had a big effect on how we perceive the game, although rarely have these changes enhanced the overall quality of the actual product.

But comparing the two most successful West Ham teams in recent Hammers¹ history is not such a problem. Only five years spanned the Class of 81 and the Boys of 86 and almost half a team ­ Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Alan Devonshire and Geoff Pike ­ played regularly in both the 1980-81 second division championship side and the 1985-86 team.

On this, the 30th and 25th-year anniversaries of these two special seasons, we recall some of the highlights, while the editor picks his combined team from the players who featured.

JOHN HARTSON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWJohn Hartson led West Ham's successful battle against relegation and fought cancer. Here he re-lives those experiences and also looks back on the rest of his turbulent Hammers career, including that incident with Eyal Berkovic.

PIKE v PARKERCurrent star Scott Parker has just won the coveted Footballer of the Year award and will also collect his third consecutive Hammer of the Year trophy. But is Parker really that good?

The editor is adamant that West Ham¹s midfield dynamo is not even in the class of Geoff Pike, another hard-working central midfielder who rarely received the recognition he deserved. Here, he explains why 'Pikey' was underrated and Parker is not all he is cracked up to be.

PENALTY KINGSWe spotlight the ice cool penalty-takers from 1955 up to the modern day, including John Bond, Johnny Byrne, Geoff Hurst, Ray Stewart, Julian Dicks and Paolo Di Canio, along with a Top 10 table of Hammers' best from 12 yards.

EDDIE PRESLAND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWWe caught up with former left-back Eddie Presland to discuss 50 years of football, cricket and scouting endeavour.

HITS and MISSESReflecting on the good, the bad and the downright ugly of some of West Ham¹s big money signings . . . from Vic Keeble and Bryan ‘Pop' Robson, to Phil Parkes, Slaven Bilic and Dean Ashton.

Plus . . .

What three FA Cup heroes were doing just days after the Wembley triumph in 1964, why Mark Ward is the toast of Dublin, more Olympic Stadium reaction in your letters, and why players should be hammered for their tweets.

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Issue 60 (Autumn 2011)

JOHN BOND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWA long, lonely walk along the corridor deep in the bowels of the Boleyn Ground finally brought John Bond to his senses. The full-back had spent the best part of 18 months in the wilderness of the ‘A' team, a virtual outcast, after disrespecting new manager Ron Greenwood. Bond had been at West Ham almost a decade, he was one of Ted Fenton's first signings and was now the senior player at the club, but his career was going nowhere fast.

EX visited the Cheshire home of the Hammers legend who made 428 first team appearances and won an FA Cup medal in 1964 before going on to a successful career in management as one of the game's most charismatic bosses.

IAN PEARCE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWEX caught up with the boy from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk who spent six-and-a-half years at West Ham between 1997 and 2004 and formed part of the best ever Hammers side in terms of clean sheets in a single season. The 1998-99 campaign produced 16 clean sheets in the league which has not been bettered before or since in the history of the club. Ian Pearce played alongside 103 team-mates, four managers and his time at the Boleyn brought a top five finish and relegation, so there was plenty to talk about . . .

THE DAY THAT BOBBY MOORE WAS SENT OFFWe turn the clock back half a century and reflect on a quite extraordinary event in West Ham's history. It happened at Manchester City's Maine Road in November 1961.

ALL-SEATER HISTORY-MAKERSWhen West Ham move from the Boleyn Ground to the new Olympic Stadium at Stratford, it won't be the first time the team will have played in an all-seater stadium that is also the home of British athletics.

Plus...

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - our guide to where ex-Hammers are playing in 2011-12; tributes to KEN BAINBRIDGE and ERIC PARSONS; book reviews; your letters and another feast of claret and blue nostalgia in words and pictures.

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Issue 61 (Winter 2011-12)

DAY IT TURNED UGLYEX turns the clock back 50 years and reflects on the West Ham v Chelsea game in 1961 - the day that the scourge of hooliganism first reared its ugly head at Upton Park.

ANTON OTULAKOWSKI - Exclusive interviewHe played 17 games between his arrival in October 1976 and departure to Southend but as EX discovered when we visited the Yorkshire Dales, there is much more to Anton Otulakowski than a winning score in Scrabble.

A couple of quotes from Anton:"I never felt worthy to play in West Ham's first team. That was my mind set and I needed some help with it. Help I never got. I would watch Brooking, Dev and Bonds and put unnecessary pressure on myself that I wasn't good enough."

"One of the senior pro's threatened to break my legs if I kept taking the ball past him so easily."JOHN CARTWRIGHT - Exclusive interviewDespite playing just four league games for West Ham between 1957 and 1961, theexperience and personalities John Cartwright met along the way were to shape the rest of his time in football, a career that continues to have the philosophy of coaching at its very core. We met up with the former inside-forward known to his West Ham team-mates as ‘Didi'.

A couple of quotes from John:

"Greed runs football nowadays and there is no team spirit anymore. Basically, a group of extremely well paid individuals turn up and sometimes play together. Television runs the Premier League and the Premier League runs the FA. Anything outside of that gets the crumbs.

"There is a lack of honesty and a lot of conning going on. People are only worried about how things look in the paper and are forever papering over the cracks for the sake of image."

FRANK O'FARRELL - book extractFrank O'Farrell, whose playing career began at West Ham in the early 50s, has just released his autobiography, All Change At Old Trafford. As the title suggests, there is a strong emphasis on his turbulent 18 months as Manchester United manager in the 70s, when he took over a club in decline and had to contend with a wayward George Best, a disgruntled Bobby Charlton and was undermined by his famous predecessor Matt Busby.

But there is still much in this softback's 184 pages to fascinate Hammers' supporters, including a lengthy chapter chronicling the Irishman's early days in East London, his battle for a place in West Ham's first team and an insight into his team-mates.

Here we present an edited extract from a book full of honest words from a religious man with strong Catholic beliefs.

SHOWTIMEViva Bobby Moore!,the show that celebrates the life and times of Bobby Moore and also boosts the cancer charity fund that bears his name, recently moved on to Southend and EX was there to record what the celebrity guests had to say about West Ham's ultimate icon. We also called in on Galey & Friends at the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch for some well delivered pre-Christmas crackers from the natural comedian and former centre-back.

VINTAGE CLARETSOn Monday, August 26, 1968, West Ham met Burnley in Division One and achieved a classic 5-0 win. It was memorable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it kept Hammers at the top of the table. Secondly, a disputed goal was awarded by a substitute linesman recruited from the crowd!

ERNIE HONOUREDTo commemorate Ernie Gregory's recent 90th birthday on November 10, we look back at the testimonial in honour of the goalkeeping legend.

ANYONE FOR TURKEY?EX recalls a time when first team stars were overworked, underpaid and simply delighted to receive a free turkey from the club at Christmas.

THE GAME'S GONERegular columnist and successful author Neil Humphreys is back with his latest observations on the modern game. This time he explains why winning doesn't need to be ugly.

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Issue 62 (Spring 2012)

ERNIE GREGORY: PROPER LEGENDThe last remaining link to the turbulent pre-war days at Upton Park was severed by the sad passing of West Ham United goalkeeping legend Ernie Gregory on January 20, 2012. As well as our 8-page obit, we report on Ernie's funeral attended by a galaxy of past West Ham players spanning decades.

As Ernie's former protégé and fellow keeper Phil Parkes says: "He has to be the greatest servant West Ham ever had."

PETER BRABROOK INTERVIEWWhile England players fight for a place in the squad for Euro 2012, we caught up with a former winger who experienced the thrill of playing for his country against the world's best on the biggest stage. As well as playing for the Hammers from 1962 until 1968, Peter was also a coach at the fabled academy during the celebrated era that produced Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe and Glen Johnson.

Meet a West Ham servant and FA Cup winner whose involvement with the club continues to this day.

HARRY REDKNAPP FOR ENGLAND?The general public has already decided who should succeed Fabio Capello as England head coach, but should Spurs manager Harry Redknapp accept the position if the FA decide to offer it to him? We examine the pro's and con's of taking one of the toughest jobs in the world game and the conflicting scenarios the former Hammers' boss must weigh up carefully.

DEBUT SCORERSThey represent a strange mixture. Some are famous names who will forever remain synonymous with the claret and blue. Others are virtually unknown even to the most ardent and statistically minded Hammers' fans. There are those who played just a handful of games for the club before disappearing almost as quickly as they had burst upon the scene - never to be heard of again.

So who are these individuals and what makes them such an exclusive group of players in terms of West Ham's post-war history? The answer, quite simply, is that they all scored a goal (or, in some cases, goals) when making their debut for West Ham United.

HAMMERS LOSE EURO SCORING RECORDWhy mighty Barcelona are now officially better than West Ham United after 31 years.

THE GAME'S GONERegular columnist Neil Humphreys is back with his latest take on the ills that plague the modern game. This time he turns his attention to the question of whether managers should receive bonuses on transfer dealings.

Plus...

Tributes to Derek Parker and Eddie Lewis, your letters and another feast of pure West Ham nostalgia.

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Issue 63 (Summer 2012)

KEVIN LOCK - THE FAN WHO WON THE FA CUPKevin Lock is one of only 33 West Ham players in the club's history to have played in and won an FA Cup final. A fanatical supporter from a young boy, his career has always been overshadowed by Bobby Moore, whose number six shirt he wore after the great man left the club in 1974. Tim Crane caught up with the former central defender to discuss the sad fate of his FA Cup winner's shirt, a close encounter with an England cap and the bizarre case of his ECWC medal.

BILLY DARETerry Roper turns the clock back more than half-a-century and reflects on the career of Hammers' pint-sized striker Billy Dare who created a small piece of football history by becoming the first player ever to sign for a club on live television, but who later became the ‘forgotten man' of Upton Park.

BILL ROBINSONThe life of Bill Robinson, former striker at West Ham United between 1949-52, youth team coach from 1953 and assistant manager to Ted Fenton between 1957-59, has been beautifully preserved in original press photos by his son Robert, who took the time to drive from Hull to London to share memories of his father's 10 years at the club with EX.

CLASS OF '57West Ham's famed academy began churning out talented young players off its production line in the late 50s. Roger Hillier pays tribute to the club's first successful group who reached the FA Youth Cup final for the first time in 1956-57, including a 16-year-old Bobby Moore.WHAT'S WRONG WITH MODERN ENGLISH FOOTBALLOur resident cynic Tony McDonald presents all the many things that irritate him about the game today. You may well find yourself nodding in agreement.

ROAD TO STARDOMToday we read as much about players' lucrative contracts, potential transfer activity, tweeting and their escapades off the pitch as their achievements on it. Even their successes will often be gained in a fleeting stay at a club before a more rewarding contract tempts the badge-kisser away to richer climes. It is very rare for a player to receive a long-lasting and possibly the ultimate accolade . . . of having a street named after him. But two Hammers legends did.

THE GAME'S GONE: TERRY 1 FERDINANDS 0Upton Park greets the returning Rio with warm applause and rightly so. The grubbier side of the game, with its adultery, celebrity arrogance, occasional contempt for fans and super injunctions, is more commonly associated with the other chap; the one actually picked to play at centre-half. Author Neil Humphreys tackles the recent Anton Ferdinand-John Terry saga and its effect on England's Euro 2012 plans.

Plus...

Your letters, the 1975 FA Cup-winning squad in glossy full colour and another feast of pure West Ham nostalgia.

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Issue 64 (Autumn 2012)

JOHN BOND TRIBUTESWest Ham United lost another legend when John Bond sadly died on Tuesday, September 27, aged 79, after a three-year battle against cancer. Here we present tributes to Bondy, who made 428 senior appearances for the Hammers between 1950 and 1966, from his former team-mates, including: Ken Brown, Ron Boyce, Peter Brabrook, Eddie Bovington, Brian Dear, Joe Kirkup, Jack Burkett, Eddie Presland, Frank O'Farrell, Lawrie Leslie, Harry Redknapp and Jim Barrett. Keith Robson, who played under John at Norwich City, also remembers one of the game's most charismatic characters.

STEWART ROBSON INTERVIEWIt is a little known fact that since West Ham moved to The Boleyn in 1904 the club has never sold a player to Arsenal. Similarly, only John Radford had been transferred direct from Arsenal to West Ham in the post-war period until, in January 1987, John Lyall paid £700,000 for Stewart Robson, the highly regarded midfielder.

EX caught up with the former midfield workaholic whose time at West Ham coincided with the end of the Lyall era and exposed one or two question marks over the professional attitudes at the club.

Quote from Stewart: "Certain players were living off what had gone before and, unquestionably, not trying as hard as they should."

EMERGENCY GOALIESEX looks back over the years at an unusual event - the occasions when some of West Ham's most famous players were forced to take over ‘between the sticks' asemergency goalies.

HAMMERS IN AFRICA, 1962If you suggested to a top tier club that they embark on a three-week close season tour taking in 13,000 miles of travel including numerous flights, driving on rough roads and tolerating a hot, humid and often wet climate with no air conditioning, you would be considered a lion short of a full safari! But that is exactly what West Ham undertook 50 years ago when they toured Africa in the summer of 1962. EX recalls The Forgotten Tour.

TONY COTTEE - WEST HAM: THE INSIDE STORYIt is six years since Tony Cottee's dream of owning West Ham was finally shattered but the day the Icelandics hijacked his takeover attempt has continued to eat away at him. Now the fifth greatest goalscorer in Hammers' history has revealed all in a new book, titled TONY COTTEE - West Ham: The Inside Story, that reveals the full inside story behind his quest to oust former chairman Terry Brown from the Upton Park boardroom.

From the moment of realisation, following West Ham's abject 2004 Play-off final defeat, that drastic changes were needed at the top if the club was to avoid falling deeper into the wilderness, to the day Eggert Magnusson and co. ‘nicked' the Cottee consortium's plans and left them out in the cold, Tony relives an emotional rollercoaster that left him feeling angry and bitter.

In this issue we present a four-page preview of a book as sharp and incisive as Tony Cottee's finishing in the six-yard box.

You can order it for £14.99 (post-free in UK) direct from the EX website or by phoning our hotline number on 01708 744 333.

TRIBUTES TO EX-HAMMERSIn addition to John Bond, we regret that two other former West Ham players passed away in recent weeks. Here we pay tribute to Jimmy Andrews and Ron Tindall.

THE GAME'S GONE: ALLARDYCE'S INSULT TO HISTORYEX columnist and author Neil Humphreys with a forthright riposte to West Ham manager Sam Allardyce's recent Guardian newspaper interview in which he claimed West Ham supporters can become "bogged down" by history.

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Issue 65 (Winter 2012-13) - our 10th anniversary edition

SIR GEOFF HURST - Exclusive interview (Part 1)Sir Geoff Hurst still holds the vast majority of post-war scoring records at West Ham and won medals with both club and country that are unlikely to be surpassed in our lifetime. With 252 league and cup goals to his credit, he was the most prolific number 10 the club has ever produced.

Tim Crane met up with the goal king at Rob Jenkins' surgery in Green Street, where Geoff and his team-mates received treatment back in the 1960s and early 70s. To stoke the nostalgia to white hot, the interview was conducted in the very cubicle used by Bobby Moore back in the day.

10 THINGS ABOUT WEST HAMTo commemorate the 10th anniversary of EX, we decided asked our editorial team who have contributed to the mag since November 2002 to answer 10 questions that will tell you a little bit about them and their preferences. By indulging ourselves, we hope our various opinions will also stir fond memories for our readers, as well as provoke plenty of debate (and, in one or two instances, disbelieving roars of laughter!).

CUP HEROESThe Football For Fans series of nostalgia events continued in fine fashion with a reunion of West Ham's great cup teams of 1975-76 and 1980-81 at the Cliff's Pavilion, Southend, on October 10. Hosted by the quick witted and irreverent Tony Gale, some 800 fans made the journey to the Essex seaside town for an evening of sharp wit, touching sentiment and first class memories from a cast of cup heroes that included Billy Bonds, Alan Devonshire, Geoff Pike, Keith Robson, Billy Jennings, Alan Taylor, and David Cross. We present the highlights from an evening which showcased some of the finest moments in the career of much lamented former manager John Lyall.

FORWARD-THINKING BONDYWe paid full tribute to the late John Bond in the last issue, but here we record that the charismatic right-back was a forward-thinking player in more ways than one.

HAMMERS SEE THE LIGHTEX spotlights a piece of Hammers' history from the early 50s by recalling the first floodlit match played at Upton Park, against Spurs on Thursday, April 16, 1953.

JIM BARRETT - STILL ‘JUNIOR' AT 82!Barrett is one of the great family names to have been connected with West Ham United down the years. ‘Big' Jim Barrett was a household name during the inter-war period and his son, Jim Barrett Junior, played as an inside-forward for the Hammers in the early 50s. He also coached at the club a decade later and we caught up with one of the oldest surviving Hammers to enjoy a multitude of claret and blue reflections spanning more than 80 years.

THE GAME'S GONEUnder the headline ‘Proud that Rio is one of our own', EX's Neil Humphreys examines Rio Ferdinand's prominent role in leading the fight against racism and explains why he fell in love with all over again . . .

Humphreys writes: "He is a black sportsman, on a soapbox, refusing to go quietly. He could just smile for the camera for the photo shoots and offer the usual asinine sound bites about ‘needing to do more' about racism before speeding off down the gravel drive of his gated mansion. But he is risking his popularity for a polarising cause. The bigmouth that comes free with fame is shouting loudly, demanding better race relations for black people and ethnic minorities.

"Ferdinand's dignified handling of the despicable behaviour of that man from Chelsea has been both heroic and humbling. The boy from the Academy might just see football as a means to an end, rather than a self-centred end in itself.

"When he defied Sir Alex Ferguson in not wearing the Kick It Out anti-racism T-shirt, he deliberately kicked open a pungent can of worms. There was a feeling among black players that Kick It Out had become too complacent. As the Ferdinand brothers said in their joint statement: ‘Times change and organisations need to change with them.'

"Rather than sit at home and fantasise over the next Ferrari, Ferdinand is making change happen. The footballer who was once never happier than when he had the ball at his feet at Chadwell Heath has evolved into a strident social activist."

Issue 66 (Spring 2013)

IMPERIOUS BOBBYBobby Moore Remembered 20 years onIt is difficult to reconcile that 20 years have elapsed since Bobby Moore died from cancer on February 24, 1993. The end came when mankind's most ravenous disease spread from Moore's colon to his liver. He was 51-years-old.

At the time, we could not comprehend, nor indeed believe, that the iconic Moore - of all people - had been taken from us in such tragic circumstances. Not like that. It was inconceivable.

On the 20th anniversary of the death of Bobby Moore,Terry Roperpays moving tribute to the greatest Hammer of them all.

SIR GEOFF HURSTExclusive interview (Part 2)In part two of our rare exclusive interview, Sir Geoff and EX's Tim Crane discusse his international career, Sir Alf Ramsey and Ron Greenwood, his time in management, selling his medals, West Ham's prospective move to the Olympic Stadium and the personal tragedies that have been hard to bear.

HIT FOR SIXAs first games go, EX's Roger Hiller struck gold when he attended Upton Park for the first time in October 1968, to see Geoff Hurst score six goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Sunderland. Here our man looks back on a memorable day for all concerned.

PAOLO DI CANIO IS LURKING...A growing section of disgruntled West Ham fans have already decided who they want to replace Sam Allardyce. After an impressive start to his managerial career, current Swindon Town boss and former Upton Park hero Paolo Di Canio is reckoned by many to be just the man to give ‘hoofball' the boot and restore Hammers' reputation for entertaining football. Tony McDonald looks at the temperamental Italian, plus we have Julian Dicks' take on Di Canio.

THE BROOKING & BONDS SHOWEnduring club legends, loyal servants and central midfield partners, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds embodied everything that was once great about West Ham. EX was there to see them recently reunited again in a rare on-stage performance.

NEIL MELLOR INTERVIEWThe former striker recalls his brief, but eventful, nine-game spell at Upton Park under three different managers with Steve Blowers, including his thoughts on the team-mate who initially reacted badly to his arrival on loan from Liverpool.

DAVE SEXTON TRIBUTEDave Sexton, who died last November aged 82, was arguably the most successful coach to have graduated from the 50s West Ham Academy. His coaching and managerial career had many highs and his achievements were comparable with those of the best coaches of his generation. Here we reflect on Dave's playing days with the Hammers.

THE GAME'S GONEIn the wake of a run of dismal defeats, Neil Humphreys looked at the outpouring of vitriol on social media sites and wondered if modern day fans had ever seen us badly beaten before...

POP ROBSONAnd the Great Unsolved Mystery An unsolved mystery goes back to the 1972-73 English Football League season and must rank alongside some of the other great mysteries of all time . . . the Marie Celeste, the Loch Ness monster and who was behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Roger Hillier investigates our mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

THE BIG FREEZEHammers' double Wembley winner JACK BURKETT who turns the clock back half-a century and reflects with Terry Roper on ‘The Big Freeze of 1962-63' when football was brought to a virtual standstill for more than two months....

MARK KELLER INTERVIEWRemember Victor Kiam? The American guy, who was so impressed with his Remington shaver that he bought the company? Well, Marc Keller was so enamoured with his former side, Racing Club de Strasbourg that he purchased the team!

CLASS OF ‘63"We won the FA Youth Cup in 1963 and I find it impossible to describe how much pleasure this gave me" - Ron Greenwood.This quote from the former West Ham manager underlines the importance of the achievement by West Ham's under-18s 50 years ago. As Roger Hiller recalls, winning the coveted FA Youth Cup triggered Hammers' 60s golden era.

THE 1923 FA CUP FINAL - 90 YEARS ON1923 was the first indelible year in West Ham United's grand old history. An appearance in the first ever Wembley FA Cup Final, combined with promotion to the top tier of English football, confirmed the club's transformation from an undistinguished second division outfit to a recognised force in the top flight. Tim Crane contacted the descendants of Ted Hufton, Jimmy Ruffell, Jack Tresadern and Charlie Paynter to discuss West Ham's first and most enduring Wembley final, versus Bolton Wanderers.Combined with a thorough look at contemporary press reports, club handbooks and the memoirs of the Cearns and Pratt families respectively, it is heartening to discover just how little the past 90 years have diminished the sense of pride and achievement garnered from that magical year . . .

TOMMY SOUTHRENWest Ham's Welwyn Garden wingerWe owe a deep debt of gratitude to Elsie Southren, wife of former right-winger Tommy Southren whose 68 games and three goals for West Ham in the 50s reveal only part of a story which includes a great transfer adventure and a brush with an international cap. Elsie's impressive photo album has ensured Tommy's legacy will be handed down to future generations.

THE GAME'S GONENothing can stop the gravy train except relegation or, in the case of the Premier League powerhouses, finishing outside the top four. The economic juggernauts are travelling at such dizzying speeds, there isn't the chance to slow down and focus on youth academies or thorough scouting networks that were once the bread and butter for clubs like West Ham. Neil Humphreys examines another problem blighting the game today.

Relatively few English strikers over the years have been blessed with great intelligence on the field of play - surely, a product of nurture, a lack of top-quality coaching, a long-term prioritisation of physique over technique, plus their own inherent Anglo-Saxon nature. However, 50 years ago, Hammers' mercurial England international centre-forward Johnny ‘Budgie' Byrne was a spectacular exception to this particular rule.

His marvellous intelligence and wondrous ability enabled Byrne to totally transform West Ham when he joined them from Crystal Palace in 1962 for £65,000 - a British record transfer fee at the time.It takes a very special player indeed to achieve such an extraordinary feat of single-handedly transforming a football club in its entirety.

As an example, we are aware that Eric Cantona gave Manchester United the lift and swagger that they needed to go from also-rans to champions when he joined them in the early 90s. In truth, a similar scenario occurred exactly three decades earlier, when Byrne became a Hammers player and turned them into one of the great cup teams of the 60s.

Terry Roper profiles a special character.

ALAN DEVONSHIRE: INTERVIEW WITH A GRASS ROOTS HERO

Alan Devonshire made 446 appearances in claret and blue in a career spanning 14 seasons from 1976 until 1990, but the FA Cup winner says he owes much of what he achieved to his formative seasons in non-league football. At 57, ‘Dev' is back at grass roots level as manager of Conference Premier League Braintree Town. Tony McDonald met up with him at the homely Essex club to hear some typically forthright views.

PHIL WOOSNAM TRIBUTE

Phil Woosnam died on July 19 this year at Dunwoody, Georgia following complications related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer's Disease. He was 80. As player, coach and pioneering administrator, the Welshmanleft an indelible mark on the game on both sides of the Atlantic. Tony Hogg recalls the lasting impact made by one of football's brightest minds.

MICK McGIVEN'S TEARS FOR LYALL

Mick McGiven spent 17 years with West Ham as a player and first team coach and was one of John Lyall's most loyal and trusted lieutenants. Tim Crane caught up with the softly-spoken Geordie at his home in Woodford Green.

ANDY MALCOLM INTERVIEW

Fearless Andy Malcolm is one of the great names in West Ham's history. Tim Craneinterviewed the South Africa-based former wing-half who played a crucial part in the club's promotion to the top flight in 1958.

RUFUS BREVETT INTERVIEW

Steve Blowerstalks to a player who suffered relegation heartache at Upton Park a decade ago. Rufus also reveals how going back to school has led to a new career.

POP BAFFLED

As a follow-up to our in-depth feature on Bryan ‘Pop' Robson in the previous issue, the former Geordie striker offers his thoughts on why his 28-goal haul in 1972-73 and the Golden Boot award didn't lead to a full England cap.

BURY-BASHERS

Roger Hillierturns the clock back 30 years to Hammers' biggest ever home victory, the 10-0 thumping of Bury in the League Cup.

STAG'S NIGHT

Brian Dear celebrated his 70th birthday surrounded by his family and friends at the Roslin Beach Hotel and Restaurant, Southend on Sunday, September 22. EX was there to cover the occasion in company with some of Hammers' former stars.

DOUG EADIE & DOUG BING TRIBUTES

Roger Hillier remembers two unsung Hammers from the 50s and 60s who passed away earlier this year.

THE GAME'S GONE

Andy Carroll still hadn't played for the first team at the time of writing. The absent striker's £100k a week salary has already cost the club more than a million quid (on top of the laughable £17.5m already shelled out to take him from Liverpool's subs' bench to West Ham's treatment table). Neil Humphreys on why a debt-ridden club shouldn't buy an injury-prone, mercurial striker for a scandalous fee and then expect weary supporters to empathise with a so-called "injury crisis".

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Issue 69

FRANK LAMPARD (SNR) EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWFormer left-back Frank Lampard has given EX his first major interview. In the first of our two-part exclusive, Tim Crane caught up with West Ham's ‘lost' legend and discussed how he overcame adversity on and off the pitch to reach the top.

Quotes from Frank:

"If you were born in Canning Town you only really had three options: Work in the docks, play football or become a bank robber."

"Dr Roper said: ‘We'll have to operate. If it doesn't work you'll never play again. Or we can forget the operation and you can stop playing now'."

"It didn't take me long to realise it was a mistake. The drive took ages and I thought to myself, ‘what the effing hell am I doing here? I'm an East End boy, not a farmer'."

LEAVE LAMPARD ALONENeil Humphreys is back with his hard-hitting Game's Gone column and this time he is urging Hammers fans to finally lay off Frank Lampard (Jnr).

Neil writes: "His Stamford Bridge destination was irrelevant. West Ham were building a side around Lampard and Paolo Di Canio. The Italian was the creative force, but Lampard was the future fulcrum of a talented young side.

"Only he wasn't. He was Fat Frank; Daddy's boy Frank; the manager's pet nephew Frank. He was overweight and overindulged. He was jeered when he warmed up. He was sarcastically applauded when he broke his leg against Aston Villa as a teenager. He was hounded out of a club lucky to be blessed with such natural talents.

"He was a rare gold nugget treated like any old iron. But he wasn't any old iron. He was the outstanding graduate of the academy, the feather in Tony Carr's cap. But fortune isn't the only thing hiding at Upton Park. Common sense is also hard to come by at times."

THE THINGS THEY SAYBringing you recent quotes from or about ex-Hammers you might have missed. In this issue we update you on Dean Ashton, Martin Allen, Paolo Di Canio and Neil Ruddock.

LONDON 5-A-SIDE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPSLooking back at some five star performances when Hammers were the pride of London (indoors!).

GEORGE WRIGHT PROFILETerry Roper turns the clock back 60 years and reflects on the career of West Ham's blond haired full-back GEORGE WRIGHT- the ultimate journeyman footballer and a most unlikely sporting hero who briefly became famous for ‘taming' the immortal Stanley Matthews.

THE CORK CONNECTION Irish players have invariably been popular at Upton Park. Tony Hogg talks to Frank O'Farrell and recalls others who came from the city of Cork to make their name in London's East End.

1980-81Featuring the second division championship-winning squad in full colour on our centre spread.

Frank Lampard enjoyed a 30-year association with the Hammers and is one of the most decorated players in the club's history. In part two of an exclusive interview with Tim Crane, Frank talks about his time as assistant manager to Harry Redknapp, reflects candidly on the treatment his son received from the Upton Park crowd, says what's wrong with modern coaching, and tells us what West Ham means to him today.

Quotes from Frank:

"When Paolo used to come in to training, the coaching staff would be sitting around the table talking about various things, and Harry would send me to see what type of mood Paolo was in. So I'd go into the changing room and say: ‘Hello, Paolo, how are you going?' He might say: ‘Hey, Frankie, it is a fine today, very nice for me'. I would report this back to Harry and he'd jump up and say: ‘Right, Paolo's OK, so we can do some training today'."

"The quality of coaching at kids' level in this country today is not as good as it should be. It annoys me a bit because there doesn't seem to be any real feeling about what the kids are going through. You have to become their friend and become a part of their lives but most coaches today don't have the charisma to do it, so we're not getting the best out of a lot of talented kids."

"Fifteen years ago, when Frank was getting some stick over there, I thought, ‘f*** ‘em' but that's all in the past and things move on. With hindsight, both sides should have shut their mouths and I could have enjoyed the club and going to Upton Park a bit more.

"I always thought that when young Frank stopped playing I would like to go back and watch West Ham play but I don't fancy sitting in the Olympic Park. It has nothing to do with me or what I did at West Ham - I just can't relate to it."

TED MACDOUGALL: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Ted MacDougall is a name that conjures up strong feelings among West Ham fans. His short but turbulent time at West Ham straddled the end and beginning of two seasons in 1973. His infamous fight with Billy Bonds after a bad defeat at Leeds in the November signalled the end of his brief stay at the club. EX recently met up with Ted during his annual visit to these shores from his home in Florida. The outspoken Scot has vivid recollections from his time at Upton Park and equally strong opinions.

Quotes from Ted:

"He took one step forward and I smacked him across the chest. He fell back in the bath and, luckily, the players kept hold of him. Thank God they did, otherwise he would have probably eaten me alive. Then, in walked ‘Tate & Lyall' (a reference to Ron Greenwood's assistant John Lyall) and Greenwood. As they held me down, I shouted at them: ‘That's what's wrong with your f****** club - too many cliques!'"

I've always been outspoken and don't intend to sit on the fence now. Ron was terrific on the game and a fantastic coach but his man-management was abysmal. Ron couldn't handle confrontation. I remember being in the dressing room one Friday afternoon and he was picking the team. He was talking to us all and I'm just staring at the floor. He turned to me and said: ‘I want you to look at me' and I just looked up and said: ‘I'm f****** sick of looking at you'."

"I would love to play in the modern game. No-one can kick you, there is no tackling, no intimidation, nothing. Everything is weighted towards the striker being able to play his game, which would have suited me fine."

ADRIAN WHITBREAD: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

He encountered obstacles in his path to regular first team football at Upton Park but as defender Adrian Whitbread tells Steve Blowers, his time with West Ham was well spent.

HAMMER OF THE YEAR

Terry Roperlooks back on the history of the Hammer of the Yearcompetition and reflects on some of the most iconic West Ham players who have won the coveted award.

TOMMY TAYLOR IN LAPLAND

Tommy Taylor never moved from his Hornchurch, Essex home in an English playing career confined to Leyton Orient and West Ham United. But as Tony McDonald reports, the former centre-back is now earning a living as manager of a Finnish club based in the northernmost region of Lapland.

ANDY MALCOLM: TRIBUTE

In paying tribute to the late Andy Malcolm, Tony Hogg recalls a local hero who knew it was the beginning of the end for him at Upton Park when he was told to ‘stand off' Johnny Haynes.

THE GAME'S GONE: GRUBBY TIMES

Fearing that the days of maverick players are over, Neil Humphreys examines the implications of Ravel Morrison's loan move to QPR, amid allegations of behind the scenes pressure from influential figures at West Ham.

CLASSES OF 1966 and 1967

Roger Hillier charts the early progress of two youngsters who were destined to become West Ham legends and the successful youth teams in which they starred.

FLODDLIT FRIENDLY: MILAN MAULING

West Ham's recent loan signing Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan is a reminder of a much earlier Hammers-AC Milan connection. Roger Hillier recalls the night, nearly 60 years ago, when the top Italians visited Upton Park for a prestige friendly.Plus . . Tributes to the late Alan Blackburn, Tommy Dixon and John Morley, The Things They Say, your letters, great pictures and lots more claret and blue nostalgia.

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Issue 71

FA CUP 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OUT NOW!

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of West Ham United winning their first major trophy, this collectors’ issue of EX is devoted entirely to that momentous 1964 FA Cup Final victory against Preston North End on May 2 and the men who made it happen.

We have brand new interviews with six of the eight surviving Wembley heroes:

RONNIE BOYCEThe heartbeat of Hammers’ midfield, ‘Ticker’ recalls the magical moment when he headed Hammers into the history books with his sensational injury-time winner, to make it 3-2, having scored twice in the semi-final defeat of Man Utd.

JOHN SISSONSWe grabbed our first goal scorer in the final for an exclusive interview during his recent flying visit from his home in Cape Town.

KEN BROWNOur latest Octogenarian (80 in February) on playing alongside Bobby Moore, the problem with deep-lying centre-forwards and why he made a point of being last out of the tunnel.

EDDIE BOVINGTONOur tough-tackling midfielder on becoming the unexpected catalyst for Cup glory. ‘Steady Eddie’ (in for Martin Peters) was the only team change after the 8-2 Blackburn Boxing Day debacle. The rest is history.

PETER BRABROOKThe right-winger whose pinpoint cross landed perfectly on Boyce’s bonce remembers the worst pitch he ever played on and unusual training sessions at an ice rink and the local dog/speedway track.

JACK BURKETTLeft-back and former teen idol Jackie recalls the horror of nearly being the first man to be sent-off in the FA Cup Final and how he travelled on bus and tube with his coveted winners’ medal in his jacket pocket.

ANN BURKETT (Jack’s wife) gives us the West Ham WAGS’ perspective.MARGARET BYRNE remembers her late husband ‘Budgie’, the wisecracking forward who talked and played a great game.

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’How West Ham – and the world at large – changed in 1964, the start of the Swinging Sixties, when The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Kinks attained world fame, mods and rockers fought on Clacton beach and mini skirts were in fashion.

FANS recall their personal memories from the Cup trail.

JOHN LYALL’S TESTIMONIAL and how manager Ron Greenwood chose to honour the injured defender whose playing career was over.

HOMECOMING PARADE and why the club messed up to the annoyance of local councillors.

Roll back the years and enjoy this 1964-themed edition of your favourite retro mag.

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Issue 72

KEN BROWN

He turned 80 last February but Ken Brown remains a larger than life character and one of the most popular players ever to play for West Ham. Tony McDonald visited the Norfolk home of the former centre-back who, with typical modesty, reckons he was never good enough for his manager.

KEN TELLS EX: “I couldn’t believe it. Money wasn’t spoken about but that didn’t matter. I was so overjoyed, I remember jogging all the way home to Dagenham to tell my mum and dad that I was going to become a professional. She looked at me and said: ‘Oh, that’s nice’ but she didn’t have a clue what it meant.”

1980 FA CUP WINNERS’ REUNION DINNER

Thirty-four years after their FA Cup Final victory against Arsenal, West Ham’s heroes of 1980 were reunited for a special dinner at the Tower Bridge London Hilton. EX was there to report on the anniversary celebrations.

ALVIN MARTIN SAYS OF JOHN LYALL: “He was a fantastic man-manager. He had the respect of the older players but he was especially good with youngsters, like me, Dev, Paul Allen and Ray Stewart. We knew he was guiding our careers. Every training session he put on for us was spot on, exciting and different every day. I never looked upon it as work. I was there for 22 years and I couldn’t have picked a better club.”

JULIAN DICKS

He is the new manager of West Ham United Ladies but don’t think for a second that former hard man Julian Dicks has gone soft. We watched him put the girls through their paces before finding out what brings an old hero back home in such an unlikely role.

DICKSY TELLS EX: “This is just like any other normal football set-up and the ladies do swear. You hear F-this and F-that, b******s and the C-word, too. It’s disgusting, they’re as bad as me! When we played against Basildon in a friendly, I laid into them in the dressing room at half-time and full-time and they must have heard every swear word in the dictionary.”

BOBBY MOORE

It’s all Greek to Bobby! Just when you thought you knew all there is to know about Bobby Moore, Roger Hillier comes up with the answer to a cheeky trivia question about the greatest ever Hammer.

RAY STEWART

The former Scottish international defender and Penalty King gives us a medical update following recent heart surgery.

TONKA TELLS EX: “I’ve obviously been told to take things easy but I’m feeling OK. Thousands of people go through these heart procedures every day and there are a lot worse off than me. I didn’t realise until this happened that so many people at West Ham thought so well of me. I’ve had lots of calls and well-wishes from my old team-mates and other friends from my playing days at Upton Park.”

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW 1946-1966

In the first part of a new series, Terry Roper takes a season-by-season look at Hammers’ fortunes since the Second World War. Part one covers the period from 1946 to the glories of the mid-60s.

JIMMY LINDSAY

Jimmy Lindsay spent five years at West Ham United between 1966 and ’71. Tim Crane met up with the former Scottish midfielder at his home in Shrewsbury to find out more about the 70s drinking culture at Upton Park and his role in the infamous Blackpool business.

JIMMY TELLS EX: “I would say I made a bigger contribution at West Ham away from the pitch instead of on it. I was unlucky with injuries but got far too heavily involved in drinking and gambling. But that is how it was back then.”

BERTIN LUTTON

He travelled by train and bus to training each day and was once punched by a West Ham fan. No wonder Bertie Lutton, Hammers’ first Northern Ireland international, admits to Tim Crane just how tough he found it in his one and only year as a Hammer.

BERTIE TELLS EX: “I remember I played an absolute shocker at home to Burnley. It was my worst game for the club and we lost 1-0. I was taken off and as I was walking down the tunnel, a West Ham fan reached over and punched me in the face.”

EX RETRO FORUM & FAIR

Former strikers Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson and Stuart Slater discuss the best players they played with at West Ham, their best goals for the club and their toughest opponents in this very brief excerpt from our latest retro event in Romford.

THE GAME’S GONE

Neil Humphreys returns from the World Cup in Brazil and reveals a chance encounter with a couple of well-known ex-Hammers. In another hard-hitting column, he explains why you can usually count on old professionals to display traditional values.

ROY STROUD

On March 16, 2014, Roy Stroud celebrated his 89th birthday. The former forward is officially the oldest surviving Hammer. It is an honour thought to have been held by Frank O’Farrell until Roy was recently ‘rediscovered’ down in the West Country.

We also have an update on West Ham’s seven other octogenarians.

Plus, as usual, plenty of rare and previously unpublished photos.

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Issue 73

JOHN McDOWELL

Tim Crane caught up with versatile 1975 FA Cup winner and John McDowell, who is once again back on these shores having been running an English supermarket in Tenerife. The outspoken former full-back and midfielder has his say on Ron Greenwood, John Lyall and what went wrong tactically at Heysel in 1976, plus much more.

JOHN TELLS EX: "I remember going up to Old Trafford and getting absolutely slaughtered by George Best. He totally tore me to shreds. After that game my dad always told everyone that he was called down to the dressing room at half-time to untie my legs after George had finished with me!”

"I am so angry about it, because at the time they painted West Ham as the academy and a family club but that image was the biggest load of b******s in the world."

RAY HOUGHTON

Ray's Hammers career barely lasted half-an-hour. But the Glasgow-born midfielder has no regrets as he looks back with Steve Blowers on his three years as an emerging young pro.

RAY TELLS EX: "Has anybody from West Ham ever said to me that they made a mistake in letting me go? Of course not and I would never, ever have expected them to," he concludes. "Obviously, I didn't think so at the time but that free transfer was a god-send for me because I went on to play at every level during my 20 years in the game."

WE HIT MAN CITY FOR SIX . . . TWICE IN ONE SEASON!

They are now one of the richest clubs in world football and reigning Premier League champions, but Manchester City didn't always lord it over the rest. Far from it.

Here Roger Hillier looks back at the 1962-63 season, when West Ham completed the league double over City with two 6-1 victories.

Yes, you read it right first time . . . we THRASHED them TWICE by SIX GOALS TO ONE in the same season!

To coincide with the publication of EX writer Tim Crane's first self-published book on West Ham United, we reproduce extracts from his lavishly illustrated hardback titled They Played With Bobby Moore.

In these excerpts, we hear from PETER EUSTACE, DAVE LLEWELYN and ADE COKER.

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW - 1966-1978

Terry Roper continues his season-by-season look at Hammers’ history since the Second World War. Part two covers the period from 1966 to 1978, which saw fluctuating fortunes including a change of manager, FA Cup glory at Wembley, a memorable European campaign and concludes with the agony of relegation.

ENERGY CRISIS

The working week reduced to three days, television companies required to cease broadcasting at 10.30 pm, a threat of petrol rationing, completing school homework by candlelight and football matches kicking off early to avoid turning on floodlights. It all sounds draconian but, as Roger Hillier recalls, this is what happened during the energy crisis of the early 70s.

Plus . . .

Your letters, The Game's Gone, The Things They Say and the usual plethora of rare and previously unpublished photos that ooze claret and blue nostalgia.

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Issue 74

SIR TREVOR BROOKING INTERVIEW

Sir Trevor Brooking spent 17 years as a first team player at West Ham United and is one of the most decorated stars in the club’s history, having won the FA Cup twice (1975 and 1980), promotion once (1981) and appeared in both a European Cup Winners' Cup Final (1976) and a League Cup Final (1981).

His international record of 47 games (five goals) is third only behind the peerless Bobby Moore (108) and Sir Geoff Hurst (49) in West Ham’s history.

He was voted Hammer of the Year on no fewer than five occasions, as well as being runner-up a further three times. In addition to his colossal contribution to the club as a player, he also served as caretaker manager on two difficult occasions during 2003.

He was awarded an MBE (1981) a CBE (1999) and a knighthood (2004).

In 2009, West Ham changed the name of its Centenary Stand to the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand in honour of his immense contribution to the club and he still attends most home matches as one of its leading ambassadors.

Last year, Sir Trevor announced his retirement from his role as Director of Football Development with the Football Association, a position he had held since 2003. He still resides in Shenfield, Essex with Hilkka, his wife of 45 years.Tim Crane caught up with him to discuss his time as one of West Ham United's greatest ever players.

1975 CUP FINAL HEROES: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

On the 40th anniversary of the club's second FA Cup Final victory, EX discussed the events of May 3, 1975 with the surviving 10 Hammers (and substitute Bobby Gould) who lined up against Fulham. For many the occasion held mixed emotions given the appearance of their beloved golden boy in the ‘wrong’ number 6 shirt.THE GAME'S GONE - When local boys were Cup kings

Columnist Neil Humphreys recalls being thrown in the air as a five-year old as Alan Taylor swept Hammers to victory and a conversation he had with Graham Paddon in Singapore 30 years later.

MATCH DAY WEDDINGS

Roger Hillier recalls special occasions for two ex-Hammers, George Wright and Harry Hooper, who got married on the same day they played for West Ham.

IAN PEARCE INTERVIEW

Having previously featured Ian Pearce in issue 60, Steve Blowers recently caught up with the popular former Hammers defender at a Development Squad fixture to find out about his return to the game.

Diafra Sakho recently set a new West Ham Premier League record for goals scored by a player in consecutive games. His run of scoring in six consecutive matches beat the club’s previous Premier League record of five set by Carlton Cole in 2008-09. By the end of February 2015, the pre-season signing from French club FC Metz had netted an impressive nine times in 18 top flight appearances.

But as Roger Hillier points out, Sakho’s scoring sequence is still some way off the club’s post-war and all-time league records for goals netted in successive games. With details of their games and goals that marked their scoring feats, take a bow Vic Watson, Hugh Mills, Johnny Byrne, Jimmy Ruffell, John Dick, Dave Dunmore, Teddy Sheringham, etc, etc.

1940 WAR CUP FINAL WINNERS

Presenting the most comprehensive coverage ever of the victorious War Cup campaign, Roger Hillier recalls the road to Wembley and the day Hammers defied the threat of Blackburn Rovers and the Luftwaffe to bring home the club's first major trophy.

WALLY ST PIER'S BIG NIGHT

We recall the timely occasion, in 1975, when more than 25,000 came out to salute West Ham's former chief scout, the man who recruited Moore, Hurst, Peters and many others.

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW - 1978-1989

Terry Roper continues his season-by-season look at Hammers’ fortunes since the Second World War. Part three covers the period from 1978 to 1989, which saw FA Cup glory at Wembley, promotion back to Division One, a glorious League Cup run, the magnificent Boys of ’86 but ends with the agony of relegation, plus the sacking of John Lyall.

Plus . . .

Tributes to the late Roy Walker and Dr Gordon Brill, your letters, end of an era for former physio Rob Jenkins and lots of rare and nostalgic photos of claret & blue past.

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Issue 75

IT is a little over 50 years since West Ham United brought pride and much needed credibility to British football by beating TSV Munich 1860 in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup and all these years later, it remains the greatest achievement in the club's history.

We have won three FA Cups but nothing that has happened at Upton Park in the past half a century has eclipsed what Ron Greenwood and his players did on that epic night at Wembley, against one of the most accomplished and respected continental teams of its time.

Alan Sealey scored the two goals that defeated the Germans on May 19, 1965 but in essence it was a superb all round team performance, one that characterised the strongly held beliefs and ideology of Greenwood, which put Hammers on the European map and made us a club to be respected far beyond our east London heartlands.

Eleven English players, nine of them local products of the Boleyn academy, managed by a talented, young English coach, going up against and beating some of the cream of European football. Astonishing when you think about it now. It will never happen again. The way English football is today, rife with overseas imports in the dressing room and the dug-out, the feat can't possibly be repeated.

But this is not the time to be cynical. It's about celebrating the memories of our old heroes who, with great style and dignity, did so much to establish the club's hard-earned reputation as the embodiment for all that was once so great about the game.

This commemorative edition is dedicated to the 16 men who wore the claret-and-blue shirt over the course of the nine games that ultimately led to a triumphant climax under the fabled Twin Towers. We salute them now, as 90,000-plus swaying supporters did so joyously on that balmy night 50 years ago.

Who knows when, if ever, the club and its fans will ever see another occasion or achievement quite like it?

In another issue crammed with nostalgia, we bring you . .

* The pre-match build-up to the Wembley final against TSV Munich 1860.

* Key moments and match stats from that classic encounter.

* In a series of exclusive new interviews that will feature on our forthcoming DVD commemorating the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup success, editor Tony McDonald visited six of the men who proudly pulled on the shirt on the road to Wembley glory . . .

* Round-by-Round line-ups with programme cover illustrations.

* Different class: How the world's press acclaimed a claret & blue masterclass.

* A couple of supporters share their memories of that epic occasion.

* How triumph turned to despair for two Hammers who suffered broken legs within days of their finest hour.

* Where are they now? Tim Crane discussed the events of May 19, 1965 with the surviving nine Hammers who lined up at Wembley.

* Ken Brown's Wembley medals stolen by callous thieves. Let's all do what we can to try and get them back for the loyal, long-serving and ever-popular Ken.

Plus . . .

BRIAN DEAR InterviewReserve team football to the front page of the national newspapers. It sounds like a Roy of the Rovers storyline but this is nothing to do with Roy Race of Melchester Rovers. As Roger Hillier recalls, this is the amazing story of a West Ham player’s meteoric rise from obscurity to history-maker and European stardom.

SLAVEN BILIC: IT CAN ONLY GET BETTEROn June 9, 2015, Slaven Bilic became the 15th full-time manager in West Ham's history and the eighth to be appointed after having played for the club. Although urging fans to be realistic in their expectations, Tony McDonald expects the Croatian to restore Hammers' principles for attacking, entertaining football.

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW 1989-1998Terry Roper continues his season-by-season look at Hammers’ fortunes since the Second World War. Part four covers the controversial period from 1989 to 1998 which saw the appointment of three different managers, promotion twice, relegation once, a stabbing, rumours of a homosexual relationship between two players, the infamous Bond Scheme and, most traumatic of all, the death of Bobby Moore.

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Issue 76

CLIVE ALLEN INTERVIEW

If he hadn't been one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation, Clive Allen might have made a good living as a black cabbie or an Underground train driver. Steve Blowers caught up with the nomadic former striker whose successful football journey took him on an eventful route to seven London clubs.

ANFIELD AGONY IS OVER

After 52 long and painful years, it's finally happened: West Ham United have actually won at the home of Liverpool. A very patient and shell-shocked Roger Hillier recalls the previous rare occasion when the visitors left Beatleland with all the league points.

Following Reece Oxford's recent record-breaking debut, we recall other players at opposite ends of the age scale who have etched their name in club history.

UPTON PARK MEMORIES

A small sample of the many contributions received for our new Upton Park Memories book

TED HUFTON PROFILE

Ted Hufton: Two bullet wounds, 13 broken bones, six England caps and a 1923 FA Cup runners-up medal. Tim Crane met up with the son of the former goalkeeper to recall one of West Ham's most revered early legends.

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW 1998-2006

Terry Roper continues his season-by-season look at Hammers’ fortunes since the Second World War. Part five covers the period from 1998 until 2006, which saw the departure of Harry Redknapp, the appointment of three different managers, including Trevor Brooking as caretaker, the agony of relegation, the ecstasy of promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs, the sad passing of both Ron Greenwood and John Lyall, plus a glorious FA Cup Final appearance that ends in crushing disappointment.

Plus . . .

ROY STROUD and RALPH MILNE obits, news of a planned new BOBBY MOORE film documentary, how you can join West Ham legends for dinner, your chance to win a copy of the new book, WEST HAM UNITED: COMPLETE RECORD, by Steve Marsh and John Northcutt, plus, of course, lots of pics that just ooze claret-and-blue nostalgia.

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Issue 77

LEN GOULDEN PROFILE: THE GOULDEN YEARS

David Bowie sang about Golden Years but at Upton Park in the 1930s, there was another creative artist of his era calling the tune. Tim Crane looks back at the life and times of a West Ham United legend Len Goulden with assistance from his sons, Roy and Paul.

Ernie Gregory was once asked his opinion of Trevor Brooking. His response is the very stuff of legend: “Great player and a lovely lad,” began Ernie, “ . . . but not fit to lace Lenny Goulden’s boots.”

Fast-forward some 30 years to another Gregory classic, as witnessed by Brian Dear. “I was at a game during the Redknapp era," says Brian, "and Di Canio and his entourage were bustling through one of the lounges. Ernie was at the game and came over to me and said: 'Ere, son, what is all the commotion about?' When I told him he went off on one . . . about how Lenny Goulden was 10 times the player Di Canio was. 'Lenny could turn on a tanner!' he would say."

Goulden passed away from pneumonia at Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, on February 14, 1995, aged 82. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for several years. Endearingly, he had moved back to Humberstone Road in Plaistow, within roaring distance of the Boleyn Ground, where he lived out the final years of his life.

WEST HAM IN THE 70s

He defied the lure of Spurs and Arsenal, but Paul Sherman explains why he has never regretted his allegiance to the claret-and-blue in this nostalgic journey back to the mid-70s.

OLYMPIC STADIUM: A HOUSE, NOT A HOME

With the end of the Boleyn Ground rapidly approaching, columnist Neil Humphreys laments the impending loss of Hammers' spiritual home . . .

He writes: "Matches never began with the referee’s whistle. They began on the District Line, crammed into the carriage with other fans grumbling about another relegation battle.

"Matches were not just a chance to show off the vibrant greens of the widest LED screens. They were packed trains, policemen on horseback, pie and mash and cola cubes, programmes and fanzines, Green Street and Barking Road. They were local routines, indelible memories.

"Upton Park served the community because it was the community. Our community."

BATTERED AND BLUE

Roger Hillier looks back 30 years to the day West Ham walloped Chelsea 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on the way to a club record-breaking top three place in the old first division. A crowd of nearly 30,000 – plus millions watching Match of the Day at home on that Easter Saturday evening – witnessed an exceptional West Ham performance which manager John Lyall summed up with his post-match comment: “You get days like that, days when everything you try comes off. If I’m not happy now, I never will be.”

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TONY SCOTT?

Tim Crane caught up with a former winger who played 97 times for the Hammers between 1960-65 and also appeared in the 1959 FA Youth Cup Final with Bobby Moore. Unfortunately, terrible bad luck denied him his chance to play in two Wembley finals and very little has been heard of him in recent years. But EX has tracked him down on the other side of the world.

I PLAYED WITH BOBBY MOORE . . . AS A KID

Dagenham-based Brian Perou, 75, got in touch with EX to recall his schoolboy football days in 1950-51, when he played alongside a lad called Bobby Moore for the same Barking District team.

PENALTY SUM ADDS UP

It's logical that the most attacking teams will earn and score more penalties. But as Roger Hillier points out, it also helps if you have one of the best penalty-takers in the business to convert those golden chances from 12 yards. A look back at Ray Stewart's remarkable record of 10 converted spot-kicks out of 11 in 1985-86, and how Hammers' were awarded and scored many more pens in that period compared to more times.

POST-WAR SEASONS REVIEW 2006-2015

Terry Roper concludes his season-by-season look at Hammers’ history since the Second World War. The final part covers the period from 2006 to 2015 which saw five managers in charge, the shameful Tevez affair, the agony of another relegation, plus a glorious return to the Premier League in a memorable Play-Off Final at Wembley.

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Issue 78

CHARLIE PAYNTER: MR WEST HAM

No man in the history of West Ham United has dedicated more of his life to the club than Charlie Paynter. Tim Crane met three of Charlie’s grandsons – John Underhill and Brothers Alan and Bob Paynter. Their recollections provide an absorbing insight to a man with very distinct views on football, family and what it meant to be associated with his beloved Hammers. Our feature includes never-before-seen photos.

Quote: “Charlie’s knowledge of physiotherapy was often called upon by London Hospital who benefited from his ability of putting joints back into place. He sometimes spoke of a time when he set up a little surgery in the front parlour of his house to help people with dislocated bones. Even when his players were being operated on Charlie would insist on going into the operating theatre to make sure the procedure was done properly.”

Quote: “Image was everything to Charlie and he once said that when running a football club a man had to choose between his family and his club. He happily admitted that he chose West Ham.”

CLASS OF '75

Mention 1975 cup runs and Hammers’ fans will inevitably recall the 2-0 FA Cup Final triumph over Fulham and facing former captain Bobby Moore. But that wasn’t the club’s only significant cup campaign that season.

The under-18s, coached by former long-serving player Ronnie Boyce, who had hung up his boots a couple of years earlier, also brought credit to the club that season when they became the fourth West Ham youth side to reach the final of the FA Youth Cup.

Although beaten in the final by a strong Ipswich Town side, the Class of ’75 was one of the most accomplished youth squads in the country and comprised of several players destined for a higher achievements. Three of the team progressed to West Ham’s 1980 FA Cup-winning squad, while a fourth went on to become our manager.

SELFISH MADNESS

Neil Humphreys reacts to talk of the Football Association scrapping FA Cup replays. He writes: "Yes, it’s such a romantic tournament, so heavily populated with Davids armed with catapults to down those thundering Goliaths, that faceless suits want to cut their legs off by depriving them of the critical revenues from replays.

"In an ideal world, professional football wouldn’t always be about the whims and desires of the rich, but about those priceless moments that define sport, like when the ball came over, and Frank fell over and scored himself immortality. At least West Ham will always have Frank’s song. If FA Cup replays are scrapped, smaller clubs will have little else to sing about."

FORGOTTEN FINAL

For West Ham the golden era of the 60s started with the 1963 US International Tournament win and was quickly followed by the well documented 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup triumphs. But as Roger Hillier records, this golden era did not completely end in 1965. Here we look closely at the 1966 League Cup Final against West Bromwich Albion – the 'forgotten final'.

DAY I BECAME HOOKED

Supporter Steve Duhig on his reluctant introduction to West Ham United, an early private encounter with Bobby Moore and a vivid account of his first ever visit to the Boleyn Ground in 1967.

LONDON'S LEADING SWINGERS

West Ham have been striving to dominate London football this season but, as Roger Hillier reveals, Hammers were consistently the capital's undisputed top force on the golf course.

EASTERN PROMISE

Thanks to ex-Hammer Ron Wilson, we present a photographic record of West Ham in the Eastern Counties League in 1948-49. The focus of West Ham United’s history is typically on the first team but we shouldn’t forget the players waiting in the wings. Thanks to Ron, who acted as team manager of the ‘A’ team (the third XI), we have images of the ‘A’ team on tour in the late 40s, while Roger Hillier's review of that period includes mention of a Chelmsford City opponent with a familiar name . . . Charlie Hurst, father of Geoff.